Liverpool Make 24-year Old Argentine Midfielder As Priority Target To Replace Coutinho

With Philippe Coutinho close to joining Barcelona, ESPN Brazil (h/t Express) have reported that Jurgen Klopp wants West Ham United’s Manuel Lanzini to replace to replace the Brazilian.

Having sold Neymar for a massive €222million to Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona are looking at Coutinho as his replacement. The Brazilian, on his part, wants to move to Barcelona, but won’t be forcing Liverpool to conclude the deal, as per Sky Sports. Coutinho signed a new five-year deal last season and Liverpool decided not to include any release clause, giving them the right to set an asking price.

Barcelona started off their bid by offering £72million for Coutinho but faced an immediate rejection. They then reportedly made a second bid but faced a similar fate. And now, it is being reported that Barcelona are willing to spend close to €100million (£90m) to get the deal done. Coutinho was recently left out of the squad which faced Athletic Bilbao a couple of days back because of ‘back issues’.

The Catalonians are hoping to get this deal sorted out by Wednesday and the Brazilian might well make his debut on Sunday in Barcelona’s first leg of the Supercopa de España against Real Madrid. And should the transfer go through, the 25-year-old will become the second most expensive footballer in the world, and also, the most expensive player for Barcelona, surpassing Neymar’s £49million

Having said that, ESPN  has quoted that 24-year-old Manuel Lanzini has been identified as the potential stand-in. The Argentine attacking midfielder has been a complete revelation for the Hammers since his move from the UAE Arabian Gulf League Al Jazira a couple of years back. He was initially bought on loan and the Hammers had an option to make it a permanent one, which they later activated.

Lanzini is a completely technical player who is capable of laying some pinpoint defence splitting passes. Furthermore, his versatility allows him to play centrally, as well as on the wing, which would come in handy for Jurgen Klopp. West Ham United, on their part, are aware of Liverpool’s interest and to brush off any offers, they are planning to award him a new mouth-watering contract extension.

Is Lanzini the right man to replace Coutinho?